Prevention of domestic violence as one of the priority areas of preventive policing: Legal regulations and international experience

The analysis of legal regulation of counteraction and prevention of domestic violence in the countries of Eastern Europe was carried out on the example of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. A number of positive decisions were highlighted, which are contained in the legislation of the above-mentioned countries. The relevance not only of the introduction of general psychological programs for offenders who have committed domestic violence and educational programs in schools for teaching students the topic of benevolent tolerant coexistence of family members, but also development of methodology of teaching of this topic was indicated. It was noted that the use of the experience of the Czech Republic and Slovakia in the systematic approach to combating domestic violence is extremely important for Ukraine. Having studied the practice of combating domestic violence in Eastern Europe, we have drawn the following conclusions. In general, the National Action Plans for the Prevention of Domestic and Gender-Based Violence are based on four topics, namely: actual assistance to victims of domestic violence by ensuring the availability of specialized social services; work with offenders; educational work for workers who have contacts with victims of domestic violence; dissemination of information on the state of domestic violence in order to prevent it and change the attitude of society to domestic violence, as well as on the bodies and services that can be contacted in case of domestic violence. The value of the Czech experience in combating domestic violence lies in its systematic nature. The main directions of measures include: legal reform on this issue, improving the activities of law enforcement agencies, development of social services; educational programs, rehabilitation programs. The Czech experience is relevant not only for the introduction of mandatory psychological programs for abusers and educational programs in schools to work with students on the promotion of friendly and tolerant coexistence of family members, but also the development of methods for teaching this issue. Slovakia’s positive experience is the development of the Methodology for Police Officers’ Response to Domestic Violence

Problem setting. The leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the National Police of Ukraine, exercising managerial influence and organizational support for the functioning of bodies and units under martial law, is aware of the need to maintain an appropriate level of police efficiency in all areas of its service activities without exception. Such an approach requires the introduction of the most effective and modern methods of police work, and this fully applies to such a component of its service as the prevention and counteraction to domestic violence. There is every reason to consider the intensification of the functioning of the Domestic Violence Sectors of the NPU as one of the important measures aimed at preventing and combating domestic violence. Purpose of research is to investigate and analyze the place and importance of the Domestic Violence Countermeasure Sectors in ensuring the process of improving the activities of the system of bodies and units of the NPU in the field of preventing and combating domestic violence, increasing the effectiveness of preventive and preventive measures and response measures as the main task of combating domestic violence. Analysis of recent researches and publications. Problematic issues of preventing and combating domestic violence, defining the role and place of the NPU as one of the role and place of the NPU as one of the key actors in this area of social activity have been the subject of research by such scholars as: O. Bandurka, O. Bezpalova, G. Moshak, M. Panov, H. Yarmaki, etc. The main provisions of the publications of these scholars emphasize the importance of the formation of a legal framework for the NPU to prevent and combat domestic violence, analyzing the impact of conflict situations related to domestic violence on the state of law and order in the state, identifying ways to solve problematic issues in this area in the life of society. Articles main body. The article examines issues related to the need for the proper organization of the official activities of units of the National Police of Ukraine, such as Domestic Violence Countermeasure Sectors (DVCS), the correspondence of the tasks and functions of these units, the importance of ensuring the proper level of their preparedness for modern challenges that exist before the NPU in the conditions of martial law . The importance of the presented research material lies in the effort to emphasize the fact that the organization of the work of the DVCS should be considered not as a certain increase in the functions of the NPU, primarily in the field of preventing and countering domestic violence and which will provide an opportunity to improve some statistical indicators, but as an opportunity to increase the efficiency of work the police as a whole in the matter of protection of human rights and freedoms, maintenance of public order and security, combating crime. Conclusions and prospects for the development. The above-mentioned situation requires a responsible attitude towards oneself due to the fact that at the current stage we do not observe a tendency to decrease the number of offenses related to manifestations of domestic violence. The article also considers the factors that determine the need for the cooperation of NPU units, in which the prevention and counteraction of domestic violence is one of the main areas of official activity (district police officers and community police officers, domestic violence counteraction sectors, juvenile prevention units). Attention was drawn to the expediency of expanding the range of subjects engaged in activities in the field of prevention and counteraction of domestic violence and gender-based violence, the need to involve in this work not only preventive activity units of the National Police, but other units that are part of the NPU.

In this paper we examine data related to the implementation of the Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence, between 2018 and 2020, provided by the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and the courts. The positive effects of the implementation of the Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence should be preventive – reducing incidents, reducing the number of crimes, raising awareness regarding the reporting of violence, better cooperation between state authorities in prevention and suppression of domestic violence, more consistent implementation of provisions of other laws directed at fighting domestic violence. It has been noted that the competent state authorities implement legal provisions unequally, which causes the victims of domestic violence not to have the same possibilities in exercising their right to protection. A key cause of this issue has been varying practices by competent authorities in fighting domestic violence.

This report is a delivery within the “Integrated System of Domestic Violence Prevention” (ISDVP) bilateral project between Poland and Norway. The bilateral ISDVP project is implemented within the framework of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism (Norwegian FM) 2014–2021 and founded by Norwegian EEA grants. EEA grants represents the contribution of Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway towards a green, competitive, and inclusive Europe. The PL- Justice programme is within program area no22 “Prevention of Domestic and Gender-based Violence” in Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway grants priority sectors and programme areas for 2014-2021. All planned activities shall follow the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence. The main objective of the ISDVP project is to improve the system for the prevention of domestic violence (DV) and gender-based (GBV) violence. This report intends to contribute to the fulfilment of the ISDVP project’s overall aim to adopt and implement state-wide effective, comprehensive, and coordinated politics encompassing all relevant measures to prevent and combat all forms of violence in Poland. Moreover, following the PL‑Justice–Norwegian FM Programme’s agreement, the aim of this report is to present existing solutions and alternative measures for preventing DV in Norway and to review existing methods used in Norway for providing relational support. To achieve these objectives, desk research has been the preferable method. Desk research (also known as secondary research) reviews governmental documents and reports (e.g., child welfare services), supranational-level documents and reports (e.g., the UN and EU levels), Norwegian research reports, social services acts and academic literature. The review shows that the Norwegian approach to prevention is very broad, as it reflects the diversity and complexity of the problem as well as the understanding of DV. The Norwegian government emphasises the interactional aspects of violence in that violence involves an influential and continuous interaction between individuals and the various situations they encounter. Important risk factors are an interaction of societal and individual factors, such as unequal power relations between the sexes; childhood experiences of violence; cultural and subcultural factors; consumption of alcohol and drugs; family disagreements; and conflicts. DV occurs in different ways, varies in severity, occurs in many types of close relationships and can affect individuals at all ages. DV is gender biased and produced within and part of a gender order. Persons of both sexes are victimised, but generally, women are more severely hit than men. Children are also an important group here, as they become disturbingly affected by DV. Moreover, the Norwegian experiences, positive as well as negative, also point to a set of recommendations that could possibly be related to the challenges of the ISDVP project, as it aims to improve the system for the prevention of DV and GBV and to take the necessary legislative and other measures to adopt and implement state-wide effective, comprehensive efforts to prevent and combat all forms of violence. Our recommendations include experiences and factors which may be related to the task of successfully dealing with couples, or previous couples, in partnerships that are at risk of falling into violence. Hence, we recommend the following. The actual services should have different relational and individual tools at their disposal to cope with diversified needs. The recruitment of couples to the service should be voluntarily based, with opportunities for access by different channels. A new kind of service needs promotional efforts of a different kind. This must be planned for. The development of integrated services requires a cross-sectoral competence strategy aimed at increasing phenomenon knowledge, competence in action and interaction competence among individual service providers and in individual services. Finally, although the focus in the project is on couples, it is very important to integrate gendered perspectives in all the main components of the project, it’s content and implementation. Given the severity of DV, including GBV, the prevention of violence before it occurs is urgent and inevitable to combat GBV/ DV. Because the boundaries between prevention and treatment can be difficult to draw, prevention at all levels is important.

The article examines whether the National Police, as a public authority, implements special measures to prevent and counter domestic violence, using, if necessary, measures of administrative coercion against offenders. The National Police bodies are directly charged with the duty of detecting facts of domestic violence, with subsequent response to them. An important aspect of improving the performance of the National Police is to establish trust with the affected families, who are afraid to come forward about the facts of domestic violence due to fear of condemnation from society. The authorities of the National Police also carry out preventive activities, together with the public, to provide the society with relevant information on the prevention and counteraction of domestic violence.
 The problem of domestic violence is not new, it has existed since the beginning of humanity, since the beginning of communities and concepts of family customs. But the fact that today some countries have learned to adequately deal with this problem, and some are simply silent about it, does not mean that the problem does not exist at all. The adoption of the new Law of Ukraine “On Prevention and Combating Domestic Violence” in 2018 is a significant change for the better, but for it to work fully, a lot of effort from the entire population of the country must be made. The legal basis of the National Police’s activity in this area is the normative legal acts in the field of prevention and counteraction of domestic violence - officially formalized results of the subject’s will in the field of prevention and counteraction of domestic violence, carried out unilaterally and entailing legal consequences.
 The following are the authorized divisions of the National Police bodies for the prevention and counteraction of domestic violence:
 
 precinct police officers and community police officers;
 juvenile prevention police officers;
 patrol police units and patrol police response groups;
 investigation and inquiry units;
 domestic violence counteraction sectors and mobile response groups to incidents of domestic violence.

Gender-based violence is a form of discrimination that prevents women from enjoying the rights and liberties on an equal level with men. Inevitably, domestic violence shows the same trend of victimizing women to such a degree that the term “domestic violence” is increasingly becoming synonymous with “violence against women”. The Istanbul Convention defines domestic violence as "gender-based violence against women", or in other words "violence that is directed against a woman because she is a woman or that affects women disproportionately." The situation is similar in the Republic of Macedonia, where women are predominantly victims of domestic violence. However, the Macedonian legal framework does not define domestic violence as gender-based violence, and thus it does not define it as a specific form of discrimination against women. The national legislation stipulates that victims are to be protected in both a criminal and a civil procedure, and the Law on Prevention and Protection from Domestic Violence determines the actions of the institutions and civil organizations in the prevention of domestic violence and the protection of victims. The system for protection of victims of domestic violence closely supports the Law on Social Protection and the Law on Free Legal Aid, both of which include provisions on additional assistance for women victims of domestic violence. However, the existing legislation has multiple deficiencies and does not allow for a greater efficacy in implementing the prescribed measures for the protection of victims of domestic violence. For this reason, as well as due to the inconsistent implementation of legal solutions of this particular issue, the civil sector is constantly expressing their concern about the increasingly wider spread of domestic violence against women and about the protection capabilities at their disposal. The lack of recognition of all forms of gender-based violence, the trivial number of criminal sentences against persons who perform acts of domestic violence, the insufficient support offered to victims – including victim shelters, legal assistance, and counseling, and the lack of systematic databases on domestic violence cases on a national level, are a mere few of the many issues clearly pointing to the inevitable conclusion that the protection of women-victims of domestic violence is inadequate. Hence, the functionality and efficiency of both the existing legislation and the institutions in charge of protection and support of women – victims of domestic violence is being questioned, which is also the subject for analysis in this paper.

The purpose of the research is to examine the preventive activities of the National Police of Ukraine to counteract domestic violence under the current scenario. The article analyzes the main regulatory legal acts of Ukraine that regulate the adoption of urgent measures to prevent and counteract domestic violence and gender-based violence and protect the rights of persons affected by such violence. The main tasks and methods of the preventive units of the National Police of Ukraine include identification of facts of domestic violence and timely response to them; receiving and reviewing applications and reports of domestic violence, including consideration of reports received by the call center for preventing and countering domestic violence, gender-based violence, violence against children, etc. The methodological basis of the research is presented as comparative-legal and systematic analysis, the formal-legal method, the interpretation method, the hermeneutic method, as well as methods of analysis and synthesis. It is determined that the legislation of Ukraine in the field of countering and preventing domestic violence includes legislative and bylaws, departmental, and regulatory legal acts. It is noted that units of the National Police of Ukraine exercise powers in the field of preventing and countering domestic violence, taking into account international standards for the response of law enforcement agencies to cases of domestic violence and risk assessment. The general and special measures applied to abusers are specified, as well as the specifics of their application by the preventive units of the National Police of Ukraine in the field of preventing and countering domestic violence.

People who have become victims of domestic or public violence often suffer long-term physical, psychological and social impairment. Due to physical injury, the first contact with the health care system is frequently an A & E Department. Thus, physicians and especially surgeons play a key role in detecting victims of domestic or public violence. The specific needs of victims are adequate medical treatment of injuries, forensic documentation, as well as interdisciplinary medical support to prevent further morbidity and violence. To take this into account, so-called expertise centres for victims of violence have been established at several locations in Germany in recent years. In this study: I. We tried to define the characteristics of victims of domestic and public violence to ensure better identification by physicians/surgeons. II. We elucidate the acceptance and effectiveness of such an expertise centre one year after its implementation and for a period of three years (2007 - 2009) and for a follow-up period of three years (2014 - 2016) after establishment. Patients were prospectively classified as victims of violence by the attending physician at the A & E Department and further treatment was initiated by the expertise centre for victims of violence. Medical reports from the A & E Department were analysed anonymously and compared with the number of patients of the expertise centre for victims of violence who had been referred from A & E Department. Orthopaedic and trauma surgery is the main referring discipline for the expertise centre for victims of violence. 0.9% of patients (2007 - 2009) and in the follow-up period (2014 - 2016) even 1.6% of patients were identified as victims of violence. However, the acceptance of such a centre fell from 22.2% (2007 - 2009) to 17.2% (2014 - 2016). Physicians and especially trauma surgeons are responsible for identifying victims of domestic or public violence and ensuring further treatment. Accordingly, it is crucial that the expertise centre should characterise the victims of violence and be aware of their different needs, if the expertise centre is to be accepted. The results of this study indicate that interdisciplinary training and close cooperation between traumatology and legal medicine are the main prerequisites for continuous improvement in the treatment of victims of violence.

Legal protection of victims of domestic violence in Republika Srpska is analyzed in this work. With regard to the above, the author highlights that in Republika Srpska there are two forms of legal protection from domestic violence they fall within the remit of criminal law and misdemeanor law. Introduction of such protection model was intended for the protection of victims from this form of violent behavior, which is, by its characteristics a specific form of criminal behavior and as such demands special measures of lawful reaction by the state. Protection of victims of domestic violence falling within the remit of criminal law, which is very important since it attaches the same gravity to this and the other forms of criminality giving it a certain degree of criminal-political weight, has not produced expected results. For that reason was adopted a special Law on Protection from Domestic Violence defining the notion of domestic violence, persons considered to be a family members, methods of their protection, as well as the kind and purpose of misdemeanor law related norms with emphasizing the fact that all the proceedings initiated under this law are of an urgent nature. The main driving force leading to the adoption of this Law is to obtain a complete and systematic regulation of domestic violence to enable faster, more efficient and durable protection of the endangered persons. The most important thing about this Law on Protection from Domestic Violence is introduction of protective measures, which could be sentenced against the perpetrator and which, in fact, allow for the protection of victims to family violence. Method of its concrete implementation regulated is by the relevant by-laws. Adoption of law sanctioning domestic violence, either as a criminal act or as a misdemeanor, together with the adoption of by-laws for the implementation of particular protective measures, represent a step forward in combat and prevention of domestic violence. However, the author emphasizes that, despite such normative solutions, we still cannot talk about some important results achieved in the area of combat and prevention of domestic violence. Therefore, a wide-scope action was initiated on the territory of Republika Srpska in the direction not only of combating of family violence, but also finding and eradication of reasons and causes of negative social manifestation. The final goal of this activity is protection of victims, prevention of violence and preservation of a healthy family as a basis of society.

The scientific article is devoted to the coverage of certain aspects of psychological violence as a form of domestic violence and as a form of unlawful behavior of a person. The said basic legal acts concerning counteraction and prevention of domestic violence in Ukraine. Focused attention is paid to the consequences of psychological domestic violence in the form of depressive disorders. Attention is drawn to the program for the victim and the program of the offender, which are reflected in the Law of Ukraine "On Prevention and Combating Domestic Violence". The list of persons covered by the legislation on prevention and counteraction to domestic violence, regardless of the fact of joint residence, is indicated. Depressive disorders are described as consequences of psychological domestic violence. The role of the public and state structures in the implementation of legislation on the prevention and counteraction of domestic psychological violence is outlined.

The purpose of the article is to analyze the regulatory and legal framework governing the activities of medical institutions in the field of preventing and combating domestic violence and to develop proposals for improving the powers of medical institutions in this area. During the study of this problem, general scientific and special methods of scientific knowledge were employed, namely: systemic-structural, which was used to analyze the actions of medical institutions in the event of identifying victims of domestic violence; comparative, which made it possible to outline the specifics of the behavior of medical institutions when identifying victims of domestic violence in foreign countries; formal-legal, which was used to analyze the content of current legislation and the practice of its application; and the method of legal interpretation, which clarified the content of relevant legal norms, including evaluative concepts used in the law. The article presents the results of a study on the role of medical institutions in implementing measures to prevent and combat domestic violence, reveals the principles of providing medical care to victims of domestic violence, and analyzes the response algorithm of medical workers upon identifying victims of domestic violence. The materials of the article are useful for scientists and practitioners involved in the issues of preventing and combating domestic violence, for planning and forecasting further scientific research, improving legislation on preventing and combating domestic violence, for teachers and students of higher education institutions, as well as for ordinary citizens.

In Russia, there has been a long-standing effort to develop a special law against domestic violence, as well as a debate on the need for such a law. In 2016, such a bill was sent to the State Duma but received negative feedback and was withdrawn. In 2019, work on the adoption of such a law resumed and a draft was developed and posted on the official website of the Federation Council. However, this draft also received a lot of criticism. In this context, the author considered it important to address the issue and conduct an analysis. Objective: Analysis of the draft laws "On prevention of domestic violence in the Russian Federation" 2016 and 2019 in the context of the current legal regulation, international and foreign experience. Results: the author concluded that the existing legal regulation does not adequately address the issue of prevention of domestic violence and does not protect victims of such violence. A large number of measures which could help to solve this problem are absent in the Russian legal system.

By ratifying the Istanbul Convention, Serbia has committed itself to ensuring that the police are adequately involved in the prevention of domestic violence as soon as such cases occur. Unlike in criminal proceedings, where the public prosecutor is responsible for prosecuting perpetrators of domestic violence, the police play a dominant role in domestic violence prevention proceedings. They are responsible for risk assessment and risk management as well as for taking immediate action against the perpetrator. Based on these legal provisions, it is clear that the police and the public prosecutor within the Serbian legal system must effectively cooperate and coordinate in the fight against domestic violence. Although the main goal of repressive measures in criminal law is to punish the perpetrator, we believe that both preventive and repressive measures in the field of domestic violence should have the same main goal: to prevent violence by eliminating the conditions and causes that lead to it. The competent authorities should take appropriate legal action against a potential perpetrator in order to prevent them from committing domestic violence for the first time or reoffending if they have done so in the past. Imposing immediate measures, such as the perpetrator moving out of the home if they share it with the victim, and prohibiting contact with or approaching the victim is intended to remove the conditions that could lead to future violence. The public prosecutor can only propose to the court an extension of the immediate measures against the perpetrator if these measures were originally imposed by the police. In addition, the public prosecutor plays another important role: presiding over the Group for Coordination and Cooperation, which is established within the jurisdiction of each public prosecutor. One of the tasks of the Group is to develop an individual protection and support plan for the victim. The aim of this paper is to present the results of research related to certain effects of the implementation of the Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence, adopted as a result of the ratification of the Istanbul Convention and the application of the pre-crime concept in the field of domestic violence in Serbia, in the period from 2018 to 2024. The subject of the conducted research is the analysis of the practical actions of the competent authorities in preventing domestic violence and protecting victims of domestic violence. The research focused on determining the extent of domestic violence in Serbia and assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of the competent authorities, in particular the impact of the measures taken to ensure the safety of the victim. The research was based on the application of normative and statistical methods, content analysis and comparative and formal-logical analysis. The results obtained from the study were processed statistically using an appropriate selection of statistical methods. Through the application of content analysis, the paper examines legal regulations and relevant academic texts related to the topic of combating domestic violence. Using statistical methods, the data of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia and the General Public Prosecution on the topic of domestic violence for the period 2018–2024 were analyzed. The results show that the number of registered incidents of domestic violence in Serbia has remained at a similar annual level, as has the number of emergency measures imposed. The number of criminal offenses related to domestic violence is decreasing, as is the number of family members killed in acts of domestic violence. This indicates the positive effects of the application of the concept of combating criminal records in the field of domestic violence in Serbia. However, the high number of women killed by men with whom they had some form of intimate relationship remains a major cause for concern. In several cases, the murders occurred even though the victims had previously reported domestic violence to the police. It is therefore necessary to raise the efficiency of the competent authorities in preventing the most serious forms of domestic violence to a higher level.

BackgroundPrimary care physicians underestimate the prevalence of domestic violence and community violence. Victims are therefore at risk of further episodes of violence, with psychological and physical consequences. We used an interview to assess the prevalence of domestic and community violence among Swiss natives and foreigners. In a follow-up study, we evaluated the consequences of the interview for the positive patients.MethodsWe evaluated the prevalence of violence by use of a questionnaire in an interview, in an academic general internal medicine clinic in Switzerland. In a follow-up, we evaluated the consequences of the interview for positive patients. The participants were 38 residents and 446 consecutive patients. Questionnaires were presented in the principal language spoken by our patients. They addressed sociodemographics, present and past violence, the security or lack of security felt by victims of violence, and the patients' own violence. Between 3 and 6 months after the first interview, we did a follow-up of all patients who had reported domestic violence in the last year.ResultsOf the 366 patients included in the study, 36 (9.8%) reported being victims of physical violence during the last year (physicians identified only 4 patients out of the 36), and 34/366 (9.3%) reported being victims of psychological violence. Domestic violence was responsible for 67.3% of the cases, and community violence for 21.8%. In 10.9% of the cases, both forms of violence were found.Of 29 patients who reported being victims of domestic violence, 22 were found in the follow-up. The frequency of violence had diminished (4/22) or the violence had ceased (17/22).ConclusionThe prevalence of violence is high; domestic violence is more frequent than community violence. There was no statistically significant difference between the Swiss and foreign patients' responses related to the rates of violence. Patients in a currently violent relationship stated that participating in the study helped them and that the violence decreased or ceased a few months later.

Diagnostic analysis of domestic violence against women showed that this problem should be considered as a sci-entific concept. The attitude of society representatives to the manifestations of domestic violence against women was revealed. Their awareness of the essential characteristics of the studied phenomenon is described; availability of moti-vation to struggle against domestic violence; the real state of formation of professional knowledge and skills, ways to prevent domestic violence against women. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the organizational and substan-tive conditions for the prevention of domestic violence against women (informational and explanatory social and psy-chological work with perpetrators; interdepartmental interaction in socio-psychological work with victims of domestic violence; actualization of legal competence of victims of domestic violence through non-formal education). The struc-ture of socio-pedagogical prevention of domestic violence against women is determined, which consists of components such as: organizational, procedural, rehabilitation; criteria (managerial, activity, preventive) and indicators (organiza-tional component: detection of an act of violence, notification to law enforcement agencies, notification to the Depart-ment of Labor and Social Protection, decision-making on further work; procedural component: first aid, referral of vic-tims to qualification services, work with offenders, rehabilitation component: the formation of legal competence, the formation of reflection, work with a psychologist / a social worker) socio-pedagogical prevention of domestic violence against women. The methodological basis of the study are methods that have been selected to know a woman's own self; which allowed women to find out the level of their motivation, awareness, literacy in order to form in them the goal of eliminating domestic violence against women. It should be noted that the questionnaire guaranteed complete confidentiality to the respondents, which allowed women to have less pain and to answer the proposed questions hon-estly. It was concluded that interdepartmental cooperation of all institutions is necessary for the systematic prevention of domestic violence against women. Effective interdepartmental interaction aims to solve the problem of violence against women more effectively; it is one of the main functions of this mechanism. All institutions of interdepartmental interaction (i.e. local communities at all levels) must maintain effective coordination with each other. It is the coordination of actions that becomes the basis for reflecting more effective interdepartmental interaction. The use of public insti-tutions of general information will help to create clear and effective criteria for monitoring and assessing the state of work of public institutions in the fight against domestic violence against women.